Colin McCarthy

Colin McCarthy Announces Retirement

Veteran linebacker Colin McCarthy announced today on Twitter that he is retiring from the NFL. While his Twitter message didn’t explicitly mention retirement, the former Miami Hurricane confirmed in a message to Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald that he is “officially retiring today.”

“Truly blessed to have played the game as long as I have!!” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “To my family, friends, teammates and fans, Thank You!!”

McCarthy, a fourth-round pick in 2011 by the Titans, is just 27 years old, so it seems fair to speculate that health concerns are largely responsible for his early retirement, given his injury history. Prior to spending the 2014 season on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery, McCarthy also battled a concussion and ankle and hamstring problems earlier in his career.

When he did see the field in Tennessee, McCarthy started 19 of his 36 games, recording 161 career tackles, forcing three fumbles, and snagging three interceptions, including one for a touchdown. McCarthy reportedly paid a free agent visit to the Patriots this offseason, but nothing came of that meeting.

AFC Notes: Revis, Cameron, Lofton, Parker

Allowing that it could just be a rumor, the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe says (Twitter links) says he’s heard that the Patriots dropped out of the running for Darrelle Revis last night, forcing the Jets to bid against themselves. If so, it doesn’t seem to have lowered the CB’s price, as Revis secured a three-year, $48MM deal from New York.

More from the AFC…

  • Even after landing Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins aren’t done, and their two main free agent targets at this point are tight end Jordan Cameron and cornerback Brice McCain, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who adds that McCain is currently in town. Cameron would presumably take the place of Charles Clay if the latter signs with the Bills.
  • Having recently been released by the Saints, linebacker Curtis Lofton will visit the Raiders, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • While they are in on Lofton, the Raiders don’t have any interest in free agent safety Ron Parker, per Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Browns have are pursuing cornerback Perrish Cox, whom we earlier heard has a visit set up Washington, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. In fact, Cox will visit Cleveland on Thursday, says Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots will host linebacker Colin McCarthy for a visit, says Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). A former Titan, McCartthy the entirety of the 2014 season on injured reserve.

Titans Make Cuts, Will Work Out Feely

The Titans have made four transactions in order to reduce their roster count from 79 players to 75, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Here are the four players no longer on the team’s active roster:

In addition to making that series of roster moves, the Titans are also eyeing kicker Jay Feely, who was recently released by the Cardinals, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Feely, who joined the Cards in 2010, kicked for the team for the last three years of Ken Whisenhunt’s tenure in Arizona, so the current Titans head coach is familiar with the veteran. According to Wyatt, the club will host Feely for a workout.

The Titans also may be ramping up extension talks for defensive lineman Jurrell Casey. As Wyatt writes, agent Drew Rosenhaus is in Nashville today to discuss a new deal for his client, so while an agreement may not be imminent, a face-to-face meeting seems to be a step in the right direction. Per Wyatt, the two sides have been in contact about an extension for Casey since first broaching the topic earlier in the summer.

Titans Cut 12 Players

10:53am: The Titans announced the waiving of one more player on their Twitter account — linebacker Jonathan Willard. The team’s roster sits at 78.

10:50am: The Titans have released eight players in advance of tomorrow’s cutdown deadline, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (and on Twitter). In addition to the following players, linebacker Colin McCarthy and offensive lineman Gabe Ikard will be removed from Tennessee’s roster after season-ending surgeries (either through an injury settlement, or by being placed on IR, in my estimation).

AFC Links: Ravens, McCarthy, Texans, Colts

The Ravens could use some cornerback help, but the free agent market is thin and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun isn’t sure either Asante Samuel or Jabari Greer would have interest in joining the team. A preseason trade may be Baltimore’s best chance for an upgrade, says Zrebiec, though he admits the Ravens may not want to part with any more 2015 draft picks after trading a couple for Jeremy Zuttah and Michael Campanaro.

Let’s round up a few more Tuesday updates from out of the AFC….

  • It sounds as if Titans linebacker Colin McCarthy will need shoulder surgery, which makes injured reserve a viable possibility for him, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • Asked about the Texans’ overhaul of their backfield – which included signing Ronnie Brown and cutting Andre Brown – head coach Bill O’Brien said the Texans “had a chance to improve our team, and that’s what we did” (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Although he believes the Broncos have several good contracts, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap picks Terrance Knighton’s deal as the most team-friendly one on Denver’s books. On the other hand, Fitzgerald wasn’t a fan of the contract the Broncos gave DeMarcus Ware this offseason, which includes $16.5MM in fully guaranteed money.
  • Because the Colts only had five draft picks in May – the fewest of any NFL team – the team extensively scouted college free agents and placed a greater emphasis on those players this year, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a few earned spots on Indianapolis’ roster and/or practice squad.
  • In his exploration on the positional investments successful and non-successful teams make in running backs, the Patriots and Browns are among the teams examined by Zach Moore of Over the Cap. The Pats only spent about $3.4MM on their productive group of runners last season, and Moore thinks that inexpensive rookie Terrance West should be a better value for Cleveland than free agent addition Ben Tate.